5 Easy Ways to Make Room for Fitness

Spending too much at the gym? Save money by turning a spare room into a home fitness retreat.

A Room of Your Own

Who wants to work out with the masses at the local gym? You can transform an extra bedroom into a pretty workout space with all the comforts of home. Instead of the gym's sterile gray walls, this room has warm colors and a floral-motif wallpaper. To re-create the effect of the gym's wall-of-mirrors, take inexpensive back-of-door mirrors and dress them up with wood molding and metallic paint.

Let's Get Physical

The walls of this space are enhanced with personalized motivational messages that are easily adhered. Your room should be a peaceful and pleasant retreat, and if it can cheer you on through that last set of crunches, even better.

Remember to find a place for chilled bottled water, fresh towels, and plenty of entertainment (music, television, and DVD player) to get you through the workout.

Exercise Den

Even without an extra room to convert, you can smartly transition your den to work double-time as a yoga studio. The key is to keep the center of the room free of furniture so that when you want to stretch or downward-dog, all you need to do it push a few chairs to the side.

Locker Room

Discretely conceal your workout gear (videos, shoes, weights) inside a TV cabinet. (This one's interior has been decked out with cheerful wallpaper.) When your workout is done, just close the cabinets, and it is relaxation as usual inside your den.

Courtesy Brighton Saunas

Some Like It Hot

You can set up an elliptical machine and a stationary bike, but for the complete gym experience, some choose the home sauna. Now made totally portable, you can order an infrared sauna from companies such as Brighton Saunas. And within weeks, one will be delivered to your door. Spend 30 minutes unpacking and another 30 installing, and then just plug it in for a spa-quality sauna experience.

All Wired

Known for their relaxing effects, saunas reportedly also have health benefits (production of white blood cells and even weight loss). To help you unwind and reap the infrared benefits, complete entertainment packages are often available including swivel mounted LCD cable-ready TVs, DVD players, and outlets to hook up your iPod. And the best feature is that the sauna is portable and can be moved without much effort, either by wheeling it away or taking it apart.